Private
by IdolizedFan
Summary: Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.
1. Task

PRIVATE

 **I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

"Any details or information I should take note of?" asked Natsu to his boss.  
"The boss says there is no other action that needs to be done," replied a feminine voice.  
"I tell you to stop talking like that." Natsu laughed lightly. "That makes me uncomfortable."  
"Okay Natsu, my boy."  
"Silly, Mira." Natsu shrugged before letting himself out of the room.

Mira tapped a finger on her office desk.  
"I can't wait for you to discover that Lucy's-"

Just then, the door opened to show Natsu again.  
"W- what is it? Isn't today your first day of classes?"  
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "I left my bag."  
Mira frowned then looked over her desk to confirm it.  
"I've always told you to knock before entering."  
"Oh, come on," said Natsu as he slung the bag over his back. "There's no fun in that."

Once again, he let himself out.  
Mirajane decided to wait a few more minutes before speaking her thoughts out loud again.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

 _Lucy Heartfilia  
Freshman in Fairy Tail University  
Working Student_

Natsu hummed as he read what's left on the ID card he was holding.  
So they were of the same age, while he himself was also a working student. Kinda.  
The client was probably a stalker of the Heartfilia family but that was out of his borders.

The picture in the ID clearly showed the girl's simple beauty, which told him she would look good in any attire, probably even while naked.  
The thought made him snicker.

How convenient was it that they had almost the same set of extracurricular classes, the only chance he'd see her in class since their courses were quite different after all.  
To be honest, he could go without any college education but he would rather digress from the topic.  
History would never be something he would look forward to, figuratively.

Three out of his eight total units for the whole semester coincided with his target's schedule.  
Entering a lecture hall for his first class, Natsu easily spotted the blonde hair of the Heartfilia's daughter.

' _She likes to wear dresses!'  
'I don't think I'll ever use that info…'  
'You'll never know.'  
'sigh… What else?'  
'She's got bright blonde hair and a big pair!'  
'Pair of what?'_

Silly him. What else could become a big pair in a girl?  
 _Especially_ when it's Mira talking about girls.

With the university having no dress code, of all the possible set of clothes, Lucy Heartfilia chose a tight Heart Kreuz brand set which emphasized her curvaceous body.  
She was already talking to two other girls, one with a deep blue hair who was particularly expressive and another who looked so much like his boss. What was her name again?

' _So read carefully about their profiles.'  
'But I'm just spying this Lucy right? What's the need for the others?'  
'You wouldn't know who'd become friends with your Lucy here.'  
'That's a _lot _of students, mind you.'  
'Don't worry. I've narrowed the list!.'  
'By what standards?'  
'Ooh. Isn't it unlike you to ask questions like that?'  
'Answer-'  
'This one's my sister, you know? Her name's Lisanna!'_

Lucy turned her head to look at him with a puzzled expression then proceeding to whisper to her friends.  
The two other girls laughed and seemed to tease him.  
That was when Natsu realized he had been blocking the doorway for a while now.

"Hey, are you just gonna stand there or what?"

Natsu turned around to see a student… with no shirt.  
Apparently, the person was starting to attract attention and he was meant to be the first one to entertain the man.  
"So what if I will, Gray?" said Natsu, playing the smug guy.

' _You've heard of Ur, right?'  
'Codename: Delio-'  
'Yeah. Don't speak of the name here.'  
'What? She has a child in the university?'  
'Two. They're both adopted. This one's Gray.'_

"Huh?" The raven-haired person frowned. "How'd you know my name?"  
"You have a secret fan."  
"Eugh. That's gay," remarked Gray, twisting his face in disgust.  
' _I wasn't talking about myself.'_ Instead of continuing, Natsu just shrugged and went to a vacant seat behind the Heartifilia's company. "Whatever, ice-brain."  
He could not be bothered by one of Deliora's sons.

However, his comment was not well-received as Gray followed him and stomped his arm chair.  
"Who're you calling ice-brain?"  
Natsu looked up to an angry face with a bored expression.  
 _'I've got other things to take care of,'_ he thought, sliding a peek at Lucy Heartfilia.  
"I was talking to myself." Natsu mentally rolled his eyes, not even keeping the sarcasm seeping out of his voice.  
Gray's face blanked. "Oh, are you? My bad."  
 _'What the food?! He actually believed it!'  
_ The naked boy took his clothes from out of nowhere and took the nearest vacant seat, which happened to be beside him.

"So, what's your name?"  
Amidst the urge to put his face on his palms in disbelief, Natsu decided he could entertain the guy for a longer time.  
"Natsu. Dragneel."  
"Dragneel? What's that? Are your parents dragons or what?"  
"Well, are _your_ parents Mika and Silver Fullbuster?"  
"Wh- what?!" burst out Gray. "How'd you know that?!"

Natsu felt like the guy was testing his patience.  
He actually wanted to instill fear and doubt in the guy's mind but it was just making him curious.  
Natsu sighed. "Let's just say I know a lot of things."  
"Uhuh…"  
Maybe it _did_ work after all.

Just before the class started, Lucy seemingly turned around to make eye contact with him.  
He couldn't make more of her expression before it turned back to her friends.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

"Crap. Aren't we supposed to only have greetings and introductions for the first week of classes?" Gray complained.  
Natsu rolled his eyes. How unfortunate for him to discover that he was going to be stuck with the Fullbuster for the whole semester, having the same course with all but two units without him. Rather than focusing on the Heartfilia, there he was being distracted by the idiot.  
"Yes, we are _supposed_ to." Natsu left it for the guy to decipher whether he was being sarcastic or not.  
"Come on…"

They were walking to their next classroom and Natsu was fortunate enough to find Lucy to be his classmate in that class too.  
Better to have something interesting to look at than boring writings on a blackboard.

"Natsu, can I ask you a question?"  
Natsu raised an eyebrow at his tone. "Hmm? What is it?"  
Gray whispered, "Say, did Lucy catch your eye?"  
"Yeah…"

' _She's a very smart person! She graduated at the top of her class in high school!'  
'How is that supposed to interest me?'  
'If you aren't for looks, then what are you looking for in a girl?'  
'I don't chase girls, Mira.'  
'Oh, really?'_

"Dude, having a crush this early on is bad!"  
That statement brought him back to reality, scowling. "Don't call me dude, ice-brain."  
"Alright. Call me ice-brain but you're definitely the one thinking too much. Is she _that_ beautiful for you?"

Well, he couldn't just tell anybody about his job.

"If I told you I had a spying job or that I had a crush on her, which would you believe?"  
Gray fumbled for words, stuttering incomprehensible replies.  
That brought Natsu a few seconds to once again look at the Heartfilia's only child.

' _You don't have to do anything actually.'  
'"But?"'  
'No buts. Just keep her in sight.'  
'How am I supposed to know if I'm doing the right thing then. I could just ignore the mission and get paid for it.'  
'Acting clever now? No, we'll know.'  
'Eh… Keep her in sight then what?'  
'Oh, try not to get close with her.'_

As a spy, that could mean lots of things.  
Maybe he should keep his identity as an agent secret.  
Maybe he should avoid talking to the girl.  
Maybe he should not come into physical contact with her.  
Maybe he should-

"Of course, I'd believe the latter. Spy things are lame and not true! " Gray shook his head as if unimpressed.  
"Whatever you make of it."  
"Don't act so uninterested on me now."  
"I _am_ uninterested," answered Natsu. Then he immediately looked at Gray.  
Hopefully, that was not too harsh of a reply.  
Part of being a spy also included remaining civil as a person of the community.

"What if I make things interesting then?"  
"Hmm? Is that a dare or something?"  
"Let's have you talk to Lucy after this class."  
They just entered their destination and took the seats behind the Heartifilia's company again.

"That can't happen," said Natsu, lowering the conversation's voice to whispers. "She has a separate class after this."  
"Ooooooh. You already knew her schedule, eh…"  
 _'Crap._ '  
"…or is that just a guess?" Gray continued.

Natsu mentally sighed. It was the first time thick-headedness of a person actually saved his skin.  
"Yeah, a guess. Who knows? We wouldn't know anyway."  
"That's why we're going to talk with them, right?"  
Natsu narrowed his eyes. "You're just going for _Juvia Lockser_ , right?"  
"Ah…" Gray blinked. "Who's this Juvia?"

"The girl with the blue hair and eyes of a darker blue color."  
"Natsu, you're kinda freaking me out," said Gray uneasily.  
"Yeah, I know her." Natsu shrugged. "So are _you_ interested on _her_?"  
"Ah…" Gray scratched his head. "Okay, you got me."

"So, how about we make a deal?"  
"What deal?"  
"Hear me out."

The conversation continued, with the boys ignoring the class which had already started a while ago.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

"See you tomorrow." Gray waved a hand before going on a separate way.  
Natsu stretched his hands behind his head.  
He was surprised to find having a random companion to be actually fun, although Gray did become an obstacle for more than a few times for him to set his eyes on Lucy.  
It rather exhausted him to an extent.

Natsu had an upcoming class while Lucy had a break for one more hour.  
She was sitting alone on a small café table, with Juvia and Lisanna on their separate classes; while he was sitting alone on another table, with a plate of dessert to satisfy him for the moment.  
How he wanted to have more than a plate, but decency was important.  
She was quietly sipping coffee from a cup, surprisingly looking elegant even with her casual Heart Kreuz clothes, almost like she was actually wearing a neat dress.

Natsu was trying to decide whether to skip the first day of class for the specific subject when Lucy started talking to her phone.  
 _'Maybe this is what Mira wanted me to keep track of.'_

"Yes? This is Lucy."

Natsu realized she had her headphones on, meaning he could not possibly know what the other end was saying.

"Oh hello, Jane."

' _Jane…'_ mentally noted Natsu.

"Oh, first day's actually going fine. Got lucky to be seated with fun people. Yes. Yes. Ah, wait."  
Lucy turned to her bag and pulled out a notebook.  
Natsu could hear the pages flipping but other than that, he could not make himself peek.

"Oh, Gajeel Redfox? No? Gray Fullbuster? Wait, I don't know."  
Flipping pages was heard once again as the conversation paused.  
Natsu absently realized he was licking his spoon over and over again, focusing more on the fact that his friend's name was mentioned. _'Who is this Jane?'_

"Oh that one. Pretty sure he's normal. No, he wasn't loud. The Fullbuster one attracted a lot of attention though." Lucy laughed. "Yes, I don't know how but he would suddenly have no clothes and all!"

Natsu noted the casual type of conversation she was having.  
It limited the types of person she could be talking to, probably just a high school friend.  
 _'What would she pull out a notebook for though?'_

"Yeah. We made a few eye contacts. I don't think that's the case. No. No. No. AH!" Lucy laughed again.  
Hearing the laughter, Natsu realized he got a weird feeling. It was making him feel warm inside.  
 _'Wh- what is this about? Focus, man.'_

"What is it again? Deliora's?!"

' _What?! She knows Deliora?!'_  
As far as Natsu knew, there was no restaurant or place remotely similar the codename to make such confusion. He probably heard it right.

"But… Ah, wait."

Natsu could hear her writing fast, as if copying notes from a speaking professor.

"Ok… Got it. Poly… Porl… what? P. O. R. L. Y. U. S. I. C. A. Ah, okay."

' _Th- that's Wendy's Mother!'_

"Ah, so the Dragneel's the next one? What do you mean? Ah, okay. I'll check it later. Thanks. Okay, soon. Don't kid about that! Silly. Thanks, Jane."

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Characters:  
Mira | Naughty Boss  
Natsu | Inattentive Student and Agent  
Lucy | Student and Something?  
Gray | Idiot  
Juvia | Dramatic Person  
Lisanna | Boss's Sibling  
Gajeel | Unknown  
Wendy | Unknown  
Porlyusica | Unknown  
Jane | Unknown

The spelling is Porlyusica right? I myself keep getting confused on that name. Correct me if I'm wrong.

My gosh. I accidentally left a comment to my own story. That's an extra note. Sorry T_T

 **-IdolizedFan 04/27/16  
**


	2. Interactions

PRIVATE

 **I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Natsu immediately stood up and left the café, not looking back to avoid attracting his target's attention.  
He took his phone from his pocket and dialed the number of his boss.  
A few seconds passed and he received a message that the number was currently busy.  
 _'Who is she talking to at this time?'_

What Natsu heard deeply troubled him, especially since it apparently involved Wendy.  
Not the cousin he was closest to.  
He also heard Gajeel's name but he could care less about him. The guy would beat up anyone, regardless of who it could be.  
 _'Mira never told me about having enemies or outside conflicts.'_

Finally, Natsu was convinced there was something more to the job.  
Mira was probably just playing him for a fool.  
 _'Who is this Jane she was talking to?'_

There was also the case with Deliora.  
The mysterious figure was pretty renown in the spying area Natsu grew used to hearing about.  
It spelled out an omen no matter how he viewed it.

Just then, a text message made his phone vibrated and he quickly checked it.  
It was an unregistered number.  
"This is Jane. You're now targeted by one of my students 3"

That was the trigger.  
Natsu decided to forego his upcoming classes and focus on this person.  
He moved to a different corner and went out of the building to find a spot under a tree.  
His fingers fumbled for a reply.  
"Okay, who is this?"  
"Interested now, eh?"  
"Can we have a call? The replies come too slow."  
"I'm a busy person. But I'm sure you can look to your left."

Natsu obeyed the message and found Lucy, moving around as if in search of someone.  
Another text followed up.  
"What do you think is she doing?"

Just as he was inputting a message, Natsu froze.  
Making him look left to actually see Lucy, that meant he was under sight of this Jane.  
Natsu bit his lower lip.  
How slow of him.  
He had to be more cautious.

"Don't think too much about it. Just answer me."  
The following text only seemed to serve as a mocking statement.  
But he had to answer.  
It felt threatening to an extent.

"Looking for me?"  
"Oh, you overheard our call up to that part. But that isn't the answer."  
"Don't you dare involve Wendy and the old lady in this!"  
"But they already are. I know it'll get you moving."

How Natsu wished his glare could become part of the message.  
"What do you want me to do?"

The conversation paused for a while, leaving Natsu hanging.  
Deciding not to tense himself too much over the wait, he inspected the Heartfilia moving around.  
She looked like she had a carefully calculating face, not making her wonders obvious to the public eye.

But he knew.

So, if she was not looking for him, what was she doing?

His phone suddenly rang with Jane's number from the other end.  
Natsu quickly answered it.  
"Hello?"  
"Hello, young man."  
Natsu gasped. "Wha-"  
"Yes, a male voice. Jane is just a codename."

The thought made Natsu think.  
What if Mira's name was also just a codename?  
As far as he knew, only respectable figures ever got codenames.  
Mira would easily be qualified on that.

A deep laughter followed the statement. "Anyway, let me tell you a few things."  
Natsu frowned, giving up on trying to recognize the voice.  
It was an entirely new character in play.

"You see, Lucy here is basically a foreigner to this place. Right now, she's lost."  
"What?"  
"You heard me right, silly. Lost. Now, I want you to guide her to her next classroom or else she'll lose a point in attendance."  
"Are you trying to get me to interact with someone who's planning to get me?"  
"Get _you_?" The voice from the other side repeated as if incredulous. "You're mixing things up!"  
"But she's looking for me because of-"

The man's laughter greatly unnerved Natsu, as if he was under the guy's total control.  
" _Dragneel's the next one?"_ said Jane in a disturbing imitation of Lucy's voice. "Yes, she did say that. You see, I was actually planning to have you two meet in the first place!"  
"What?"  
" _Don't kid about that! Silly._ I don't know how much of the rest you heard but she told me was looking forward to it." There was a cough before the continuation. "I wanted her to get some friends."

To which Natsu did not know how to reply to. She already had Juvia and Lisanna. "…I don't get it."  
"Lucy… For her, Jane is one of her closest friends! It's up to me to get her to socialize!"  
"But I heard her mention Deliora and-"  
"Nicknames! What else do you want cleared up?!"

Natsu could hear the frustration from the edge of the caller's voice.  
As much as he did not want the poor excuses to pass, he certainly would not want to make this Jane angry.  
Who knew who he could be connected to?

"Okay… So what happens if I meet with her?"  
"You shouldn't ask me that."

The call ended.  
Natsu got the urge to ignore it, but he did not know the power and influence of Jane yet.  
Plus, he was under surveillance.  
He looked around to check for some hidden cameras, to no success.  
There was nothing left to do but talk to Lucy.

That was when Natsu realized Lucy was no longer in his vision.  
He totally wished he wasn't being graded or something.  
His performance would already be downright bad.

"Miss Heartfilia?"  
The trace of her last name left an awkward taste in his lips.  
"Lucy?"  
Now that was more comfortable.  
Natsu hoped she would not judge him.  
Or take away his relatives.  
Or get him confined in a room.  
Or…

"Uhh… Did you call me, Sir?"  
Natsu blinked. Up close…  
Lucy's eyes brightened in recognition. "Oh, you're Natsu Dragneel, right?"  
He was right. She was indeed pretty.  
Seeing her up close seemed to magnify her beauty and if it was not for some strict training, he would have just lost his mind and be stuttering nonsense.

"Oh, ah, yes." Natsu stretched his hand then offered a shake.  
Lucy politely took it with a smile. "So, how did you know about me?"  
"I…"

Natsu tried to make a quick decision.  
Should he be blunt about it?  
Should he tell half the truth?  
Should he…

"Just say what's on your mind, silly."  
Silly. How many people had called him silly that day?  
Was he really acting silly and all that?  
What has gotten into him?  
Did he actually get unnerved that everything suddenly seemed to fall in confusion?

Next thing Natsu _felt_ was a hand on his cheek.  
A warm small hand, coming from Lucy.  
"Wh- what?!"  
"Back to Earthland. Back to me, Natsu."

Natsu was not sure how to react and allowed the hand to rest on his cheek for longer.  
"Okay, it's working. I guess."  
"Good. Don't act so nervous." Lucy dropped her hand. "It's like you're trying to flirt with a crush!" She offered a light hearted smile.

Something about her voice eased his senses.  
Natsu smiled back. "I don't flirt with lost girls," he said, finally getting back on track.  
"Oh, you seem to know a lot."  
He noted she did not even disagree. He was only hoping she was enjoying the conversation as much as he was.  
"Well, when's your next class?"  
"I've got ten more minutes… uhh… So yeah, I don't know where the room is located."  
"Hmm?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to imply?"

Lucy smirked, ready to play the naughty but patient type.  
"I need help in anything but directions."  
"Oh?" As much as he wanted to continue teasing her, an idea struck him.  
He immediately felt a pang of guilt but he just had to. "Well, I can offer a deal."  
"I'm interested to hear it."  
"I'll lead you to your room but…" Natsu paused for emphasis, looking at Lucy's figure. "You're going to let me sit-in and be with you."

Lucy went black for a few seconds then a small giggle burst out.  
"And here I thought, it was going to be something daring!"  
Natsu blinked, holding back emotion from his wild thoughts.

Another idea came just before he could mention his real wish, his desire to know what Lucy could possibly be involved with old lady Porlyusica for.  
A seemingly stupid idea, but he immediately thought about its additional possibilities.  
He had to watch his target now, all the more because of new interferences; but he wouldn't let Lucy know of his position yet.

"So, are you going to take it, Miss Heartfilia?"  
"Hmm…" Lucy looked at a nearby clock. "Five minutes. Can you take me there?"  
"What's the room anyway?"  
"B-101 in this building. I'm fairly sure it's this building."

Natsu grinned.  
"May I be your chaperone to the basement?" he said, offering a hand yet again.  
Lucy looked at it in puzzlement for a short moment then laughed.  
"OH!" Along with her gasp, her cheerful surprise was obvious. "B stands for basement! I'm so-"  
"Silly?" Natsu winked.  
Lucy took the hand without further ado.

"Wait" Lucy frowned. "Now I realize it's just a short way!"  
"Nu-uh." Natsu tightened his grip on her hand. "The deal is made."  
Lucy rolled her eyes but did not resist. "Okay, take me there Mr. Chaperone. Before the professor arrives."  
"At your service."

\- X – X – X – X – X -

"You're at this class too, Lisanna?!"  
The white-haired lady in the back of the room looked up with confusion that turned into delight.  
"Oh, Ashley!"  
Natsu frowned. "Why Ash-"  
Lucy nudged him on the elbow to silence him.  
She made an expression of _'Nothing suspicious'_ also rolling her eyes.  
She leaned her face to whisper in his ear. "I'm under the name of Lucy Ashley, okay?"

"Hmm?" Lisanna turned her head sideways. "Isn't he the guy from our first class?"  
"Ah, yes." Lucy cleared her throat. "His name's Natsu. Natsu, meet Lisanna."  
Natsu gave a smile. "Guess we'll be together today. "

Lisanna hummed as the other two took their seats near hers.  
"What is it, Lisanna?" Lucy asked.  
"Oh, Natsu sounds like a familiar name…"  
"Ehh…" Natsu bit his lip.

The younger Strauss wouldn't know of course.  
But Mira could have probably blabbed about him some time.  
The thought made Natsu uneasy.

"That isn't possible!" Lucy chuckled. "It's the first day of classes."  
"Yeah, you're right."  
"I'm not your classmate though," Natsu pointed out. "I'm just sitting-in."  
"Oh, why is that?"  
Natsu smirked. "Lucy here was lost a while ago and we made a deal."  
"Now, don't tell her about the deal." Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.  
"Heh…" Lisanna smiled, amused. "That's just making me curious."

"Best not be curious about it." Natsu shrugged.  
"Why is that?"  
His next words were a whisper. "The professor is here."

To which Lucy and Lisanna laughed at, although keeping their voices low.

While the class did start, the three eventually just chatted to themselves and almost ignored the whole class before them.

\- X – X – X – X – X –

"I got one more class, Ashley!" Lisanna nodded farewell then rushed to her next class.  
"She's quite unlucky, eh?" Natsu said. "Her schedule's up to seven."  
"It _is_ quite worrying." Lucy shook her head. "She has a brother who's from the nearby high school building though. She says she can call him."  
"Younger?"  
"Yeah, but you wouldn't know from his build." Lucy laughed, as if remembering a past cheerful conversation.

It was already afternoon and Natsu was feeling eager to come home.  
"Oh, the sun's setting already?" Lucy mentioned, looking at the far horizon.  
"Woah! I didn't know the university has such a good view," Natsu said, amazed.  
"Hmm? Does that mean you're new here?"  
"Yes, I am." Natsu stretched his arms behind his back. "Anyway, the deal is done."

"Are you going home now?" Lucy asked.  
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. How about you?"  
"I'll wait for a friend. We'll have dinner together."  
"I see. How about treating me to dessert first?" Natsu teased.  
"Silly. Don't act so close now," Lucy joked lightheartedly.

The male agent smiled. "Goodbye then."  
"Right. See you tomorrow."  
Natsu winked then turned around, starting to walk. "Hope I won't see you chasing me."  
Lucy chuckled. "I won't come with you or anything, idiot."

She probably meant it as a joke, was what Natsu would like to think.  
But he suddenly thought she could also be giving grave hints.

"Say hi to Jane for me," he whispered to himself.  
He realized he had a lot of anger and frustration kept inside of his mind.  
Almost wishing his happy interactions with Lucy had all been made up.

Natsu waved a hand goodbye.  
But he did not look back.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

Natsu went inside the apartment door to be greeted by a young girl, lightly prodding his knees.  
"Big bro Natsu, you look tired."  
Natsu walked to the refrigerator, searching for food. "Wendy, how are you here?"  
"Romeo visited a while ago. I let him in and we played video games."  
"Oh, did you have fun?" Natsu's eyes lightened up, spotting a pizza box above the fridge. "Hey, who got us pizza?" The spicy type. Yum.  
"Gajeel got it," Wendy informed.  
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you actually got it."  
Wendy pouted. "I've been practicing in front of the mirror."

He smiled at how 'considerate' Wendy was.  
Gajeel hated being called big brother or any of such honorific titles.  
It had been a while since he insisted Wendy about it, but she clearly was having a hard time about it.  
He would rather have his ego rather than respect. _'The jerk.'  
_ Natsu shook his head, intent to keep his mind clean of ungrateful freeloaders and entertained Wendy more.

"So, what did you have today?"  
"Oh, I beat Romeo two out of three with the Lacrima card game!"  
"Woah! That's nice to hear!"  
"Yeah, he kept getting the lucky draws though."

Wendy sat on the floor and continued to tell her story, waving her hands to offer a brighter perspective.  
Natsu sat before her, munching on a pizza slice (which Gajeel would probably be angry about later).  
"You still won anyway!" Natsu grinned. "And what matters is that you guys enjoyed it."  
"Yeah! We could've played for more though..."  
"Hmm?"

Natsu's smile broke off upon hearing the next words.

"But we heard the doorbell ring."

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Characters:  
Mira | Boss  
Natsu | Troubled Agent  
Lucy | Lost Student  
Lisanna | Curious Classmate  
Gajeel | Hungry Freeloader  
Wendy | Sweet Little Cousin  
Porlyusica | Cousin's Mother  
Romeo | Playmate  
Jane | Scary Male

Got the actually exhausting interactions of Natsu and Jane finally done. It's a needed set-up for our two main protags anyway.  
Then there's Wendy. I'm so excited for things to get down (hopefully my words will get down my mind too).

If you see any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc., politely tell me about it.

 **-IdolizedFan 05/03/16  
**


	3. Deal

PRIVATE

 **I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

"Can I have a share off your pizza?"  
"Ah…"  
"Big bro?" Wendy approached her cousin and waved a hand before him.  
"Do- did you…" Natsu stuttered, shaking a little. "So, who was it that entered?"  
"I mean, it's-"

Natsu basically jumped upon hearing the ring of the doorbell.  
"I… I'll get the door, Wendy," said Natsu putting a hand defensively on Wendy's shoulder, which made her puzzled.  
"Did something-"

Natsu slowly stood up and went for the door.  
What was usually his unnoticed heartbeat suddenly seemed to sound and feel like drums pounding inside of his stomach.  
Was it Mira taking extreme measures?  
Did Lucy trick him and got in his apartment first?  
Maybe it was Jane.  
Or could it be something more he hadn't thought of yet?

The doorbell rang again.  
Natsu steeled his nerves.  
If something bad were to happen, he would have to remain calm and strong for Wendy.  
Especially because…

The doorbell's rings became more frantic.  
Natsu gulped and opened the door.  
"Oh, you're here already," was the grumbled reply of the person before me.  
"Wha- Gajeel?!"  
"Huh? Got a problem?"

The older cousin stared at the staring person.  
He was eyeing Natsu's expression until he caught sight of his shirt.  
"And who told you that you have share in _my_ pizza?"  
"Pfft!"  
"Wha-"  
Natsu suddenly burst out laughing, even rubbing his eyes as if removing tears of joy.

The Redfox rolled his eyes.  
"How long are you planning to block the way?"  
"For a second, I thought it was going to be someone else." Natsu followed it with an embrace.  
"The old lady wouldn't want to see this."  
Natsu gritted his teeth and couldn't believe how he got his emotions ahead of him…  
While Gajeel couldn't feel the atmosphere. "You know, I'm just holding it in because of Wendy."  
By when Natsu tightened his hug more.  
Something snapped in Gajeel's thought process. "What the fu-"

"I told you not to cuss in front of Wendy," scolded Natsu as he punched the head of Gajeel and left him in the doorway. "And don't terrify Romeo next time."  
Gajeel could only grumble in pain.  
"What do we have for dinner, Wendy?" Natsu asked the other resident as he walked in.  
"Uhhh…" Wendy glanced at the body by the door then turned to the small kitchen. "Tonight, we're having a little bit of bacon!"  
"Ooooh!" Natsu exclaimed. "Now I'm fired up!"  
"Let's eat, Gajeel," Wendy called over with a smile.

Beneath it all, Natsu was relieved it was not anything serious.  
But he would get to the bottom of any possible threats, all for the sake of his little family.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

Lucy's face alternated from frowning to confused every now and then, while Natsu grumbled, unable to grasp what to say.

"Did you guys have a fight or anything?"  
The raven-haired student looked at his two classmates in awkward silence.  
After all, he was in the middle seat of a sour atmosphere.  
"Come on. I think this will be our only class together for the day!"  
Gray raised two hands also smiling, trying to lighten the mood.

Natsu frowned.  
The guy was right. If he had to talk to Lucy, now was the only available time.  
For the sake of college, he couldn't just skip classes whenever he wanted.  
Nevertheless… Gray was in the way.  
And no way would he let him know about the agent stuff.

Then again, he was annoyed already.  
Before he got to class, he had tried calling his boss.  
However, Mira was absent in the office, leaving his calls unanswered.  
No help. No clues about Jane. No idea how to handle things.  
He doubted he could hold a comprehensive conversation for long.

"Give me an idea…?" Gray asked, unsure of his suggestion.  
"I rejected him yesterday," Lucy stated.  
Natsu blinked but Gray screamed, "WHAT?!"

His voice resonated across the room, even overpowering the lecturer's discussion.  
"You three in the back, if you aren't going to listen to my class…" the teacher raised a threatening chalk. " I'll have your attendances for today unacceptable."

A few of the students laughed while Gray looked down, mumbling his embarrassment.  
The teacher resumed his discussion.  
Gray couldn't keep his curiosity down though.  
He resumed the conversation in a whisper.  
"Natsu, i-is that true?"

Natsu gave a wary look at the authority before them.  
Then gave a grumble, "I don't really want to talk about it."  
"But why'd you have to advance so soon?"  
"I-"  
"I was the one who encouraged him," Lucy intervened.  
Gray frowned. "What do you mean?"  
"Natsu followed me to the café yesterday. I guessed the rest."  
Natsu sighed. "After that, I caught her lost. Then we had a conversation. It was a deal she rejected. It wasn't a _confession_ , mind you."

Gray laughed uncomfortably.  
"My bad. I was thinking something different."  
"We aren't close yet to reach that level," said Lucy as she wrote lines on her notebook, looking at the blackboard in a measured interval.  
Gray just looked at her notebook and copied. "Wait, what does this say?"  
" _Death by fire._ "  
"Don't sound so angry! I couldn't understand your handwriting."  
"Huh?" Lucy objected defensively. "It's not a _bad_ writing like yours!"

Natsu rolled his eyes.  
He wanted to thank Lucy for the smooth excuse, to which fortunately, they managed to have something to agree upon.  
But what should he do before the class ended?

Just then, Lucy poked his shoulder from behind.  
Natsu looked back and saw she was giving out a piece of paper.  
They traded short looks.  
Natsu frowned and mouthed. _'What is this?'_  
Lucy shook her head and glanced at Gray.  
Natsu nodded and they went back to jotting down notes.

Few minutes later, when he was sure Gray was preoccupied with talking to Lucy, Natsu peeked at the paper.  
It was a phone number.  
"Oh," saying it out loud.  
Fortunately, it was a short exclamation that not even Gray noticed his surprise.

And a tiny note.  
"We'll talk about it later."  
"Oka-" Natsu stopped, almost speaking it out loud.  
Since there was not any space to write in, he decided to just shrug it off and remain calm.  
Having her phone number opened up more opportunities, including longer times of conversations.

"Psst." Gray nudged his elbow, bringing him back to reality. "You're smiling."  
"Ah, was I?" Natsu shifted his lips. "I wasn't smiling."  
"So, what was in that paper?"  
"What?"

Natsu gasped, looking for Lucy, "Where's Lucy?"  
Gray rolled his eyes. "She went for the restroom."  
"Ah."  
"What's with the _Ah?_ You're attracted to her, right?"  
"I told you, I'm not!" Natsu frowned.  
"What's in the paper then?"  
Natsu put the paper in his pants' pocket. "Not gonna tell you."  
"Oh, are you going to meet again somewhere later?" Gray smirked. "Why don't you fill me in?"  
Natsu scowled. "Cause it's meant to be only the _two_ of us."  
"Okay, okay. Don't push me away too much."

Lucy returned to her seat and addressed Gray. "So, what did I miss?"  
"A short conversation?"  
"Idiot. I mean, the class. What did I miss?" Lucy repeated, a bit impatient.  
"Oh… ah…"  
"The number of fire cases," Natsu informed. "I didn't bother copying though."  
"H- how did you know that?" Gray asked weakly. "We were talking."  
"Oh, will we have hand-outs?" Lucy asked.  
"I don't remember the prof talking about hand-outs," replied Natsu.  
"Can I see your notes?"

Natsu shrugged then handed over his notebook.  
Lucy took it and scanned the pages.  
"Oh, you have a nice handwriting!" Lucy complimented.  
"Igne-" Natsu coughed to his hand. "My father taught me carefully."  
"Interesting! It's very clear."  
"Ummm… Are you missing someone?" Gray interrupted.

Lucy and Natsu paused, locking eyes with each other.  
"No?" Lucy shrugged.  
"I don't think so," Natsu agreed.  
"You guys!"

Barely suppressed laughter followed.  
Natsu had a fleeting thought of how he hoped all these things were real.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

Natsu was in the same café table where Lucy sat the day ago.  
He already grew fond of the site's coffee and dessert.  
Not that he would anybody of his tastes.  
People would give him the weird eye.

"So, are you skipping classes now?"  
He stared down at his phone, spinning it on the table.  
Not even a minute had passed and he already got a reply.  
"no y do u have to speak so formally"  
 _'Oh, good point.'_ Natsu smiled. Maybe it was his mindset as an agent.  
"I don't know. Just feel like it."  
"ok I'll ask first how come you know Jane"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. That was rather straightforward.  
"Can you chat while in class?"  
"the profs talking bout his life lol"  
Natsu smiled, amused. "Who's the prof?"  
"makarov can we go back to the question now"  
If it wasn't for her reason, he would have thought Lucy was not in a class, with her texting so fast.  
"What kind of an answer are you expecting?"  
"idk an honest one"

Natsu weighed his choices.  
A text can cause a miscommunication of intention and meaning after all.  
But he had to know some things.  
"Jane called me yesterday. He wanted us to meet."  
"he? But jane is a girl lol"

Natsu nearly dropped the phone he was holding. "What?"  
He wouldn't want to attract attention in such a small location.  
"just kidding. so you already know"  
"Jane told me a bit."  
"so why did he want us to meet"  
"He said you were lost, that I had to guide you."  
"srsly?"  
"I'm not lying, okay?"

There was a longer wait and Natsu realized he already had nothing on his plate and cup.  
He raised a hand and ordered another piece of cake.  
The old lady would be mad at him for _overdosing_ on sweet food.  
But he had no other things to do, except to wait for an hour for his next class… and to continue his chat with Lucy Heartfilia.

"ok thats nice to know i guess"  
"How so?"  
"cause Jane is a really interesting person, weird too"  
Natsu hummed. "I can see that. Can I ask a question?"  
"go"  
He was surprised by how accommodating she was. "Why are you Lucy Ashley?"  
"oh lol thats one of the names Jane made for me"  
"Names for what?"  
"nothing serious. come on dont be too serious"

Natsu really wished he could. But there were other matters concerned.  
"But you know Deliora."

There was another long wait after Natsu sent the reply.  
He expected it though.  
He looked at a nearby clock.  
 _'Time's running fast. Few more minutes until my class.'_

The text arrived just before he emptied his plate.  
"ok but thats about gray. you dont have to know"  
Natsu frowned but decided to let it pass.  
"But about Gray, I don't think our excuse is going to pass for the whole semester."  
"me too. you got any ideas"  
"Well, what do you tell to your other friends?"  
"anything goes they dont really ask"  
"Great. But Gray's acting kinda suspicious."  
"how so"

Natsu got out of the café and went for his classroom.  
"He keeps thinking there's something more between us."  
"like what"  
"I don't know. I think he actually saw you give me your number."  
"then hes just jealous right"  
"But he's eyeing another girl. I know."  
"hmm gimme a moment"  
"Sure."

Natsu sighed as he got a seat somewhere around the middle.  
He made sure he had a good angle to see the blackboard but good enough to have his phone remain hidden.  
He checked his phone and saw no replies still.

"Dragneel."  
Natsu raised a hand as his name was called.  
After that, he checked his phone again, feeling a little silly.

"how about we act like a legit couple"

"WHA-"  
Natsu covered his mouth and sank his face on his armchair.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Characters:  
Mira | Absent Boss  
Natsu | Edgy Student  
Lucy | Sassy Agent  
Gray | Loud Classmate  
Gajeel | Bad-mouthed Cousin  
Wendy | Motherly Cousin  
Romeo | Mentioned Person  
Jane | Friend's Friend

Update got a little delayed… cause I wanted rest. I'm sure you guys would understand.

Reference as for why the class topic is about fire, I'm currently reading Enen no Shouboutai. If you're a fan of the action of Fairy Tail, you might want to try it (same mangaka from Soul Eater).

If you see any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc., politely tell me about it.

 **-IdolizedFan**


	4. Complication

PRIVATE

 **I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

"Idiot, we can't do that!" Natsu rapidly replied, almost voicing his sentiments out loud.  
He slowly looked around to see if he attracted attention.  
Amid his pumping heart, he was relieved to find he was unnoticed.

"why not"  
Natsu frowned.  
It was another message that proved how texting is an unreliable medium of expressing emotion.  
For all he knew, Lucy could simply be teasing him… or actually being serious.

Just as Natsu was typing a reason, he realized he did not have one.  
A clear one, at least.  
"Because I haven't dated anyone yet."  
It totally sounded like a lame excuse but Natsu hoped it would pass.  
Plus, it was true anyway.

"then wouldnt that work better? your acting will be convincing"  
Natsu stared at his phone in disbelief.  
"Are you serious?"  
"Unless you want Gray to know about Deliora."

Natsu froze.  
That was the first time Lucy gave a clean text.  
It told him she was quite serious.  
"Okay, I'll do it."  
"dont act so stiff haha i wont ever tell him"

And how fast Lucy shifted from a stance.  
Natsu felt a sweat drop on the side of his head.  
She definitely had her own secrets.  
"But I don't really know much about this stuff."  
"allow me to enlighten you. what name would you want"  
"Name?"

Few seconds pass and his phone vibrated again.  
As much as Natsu would like to read the text soon, the class had shifted to an in-depth explanation of the current topic.  
He would have to take notes first.  
The relationship would have to wait.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

"name! as in what should i call you if we act lovey dovey"  
"What?"

Natsu was not sure if it was his mind getting slow on him or he was just distracted.  
He needed to know just how _serious_ Lucy wanted the "relationship" to go.  
Why was he thinking too much about it anyway?

His next class was two hours away so he decided to have a quick lunch first.  
Natsu realized he would be with Gray for the next class.  
He followed up another text.

"Should I tell Gray about it? Or will you?"

A few seconds passed and his phone rang, just as he got his food on the table.  
"don't tell him. he will go nuts once he grasps his mind on our acting"  
"Okay. What else?"  
The thought made him a bit uncomfortable, but Natsu laughed it off. He just hoped Gray would not be mad once he discovered about the truth.  
Well, his family was at stake.

"Hey, punk."

There was absolutely no reason for Natsu, if it wasn't for him recognizing Gajeel's voice.  
He looked up to find his cousin moving over to his table with his own food.

"Wha-?"  
"Why are you alone here?"

Natsu frowned, not appreciating the sudden intrusion.  
He kept a constant watch on his phone, which was just silent on the table.  
Gajeel smirked, upon noticing the act.

"It's okay. I won't read _that_. You haven't answered my question."

Natsu sighed.  
"Do I always have to be with people?"  
"I don't know," said Gajeel, who was already eating. "It's unusual, I guess."  
"Schedule conflict," replied Natsu, trying to remain patient. "I'm sure you know the feeling."  
"Ah."

There was something with the Redfox that just annoyed Natsu.  
Why did he have to have a guy like him as a cousin?  
Absolutely no sense of-

"Your phone."  
"Huh?"  
"Message, dummy."  
Natsu blinked. Gajeel was right.  
"Come on," teased his cousin. "You don't have to be distracted by _me_."

Natsu ignored him and went on to read the text.  
"well that means we should have everyone we know discover about it"  
"Wha-?" Natsu stopped, remembering Gajeel was in front of him.  
He sent a short text asking her if she was sure about it.

"Girl problems?" Gajeel pestered.  
"What? No."  
"You don't react like that." Gajeel paused to imitate a surprised expression. "Haven't seen it ever."  
Natsu frowned. "What's your point?"  
"Girl problems," repeated Gajeel.

Natsu decided he could no longer just avoid it.  
"Okay, _girl problems_."  
Gajeel shrugged.  
Natsu glared at his cousin. "I thought _you_ were the one interested."  
"Okay. What will you tell me?"  
"Wait," said Natsu as he checked the new message.

"yes i am. its better to make it look authentic"  
"What would you call me?"

Natsu moved the phone away to continue the conversation.  
"Okay. Name-calling. Any suggestions?"  
"You think I'd know any of this?"  
"Why not?" Natsu raised an eyebrow. "You have Le-"

"Shrimp. Shorty. Stupid."  
"What?"  
"I'm not good with that stuff."  
"Oh," mumbled Natsu as he realized what he meant. "I can see that."

Gajeel continued eating.  
Natsu read a new text. "Nacchan?"  
"What the he-"

Natsu blocked his mouth with his hands.  
Gajeel scoffed at him. "What is it about?"  
Natsu gave a glare.  
Not that he could do much about it.  
His cousin was already in it.

"She offered a stupid nickname."  
"What're you going to say?"  
"I don't like it."  
"Whatever it is tha-"  
" _Nacchan_."  
"Pffft!"

Gajeel did not bother stopping his laughter.  
A few heads turned around to look at him questioningly.  
Natsu took the time to text Lucy a complete rejection.

"She's way worse at making nicknames than me!"  
Natsu did not know what to say to that.  
It was not his area of expertise either anyway.

"Okay, I'll just ask other people for help."  
"Like who?"  
"Uhh…" Natsu broke off.  
Gajeel shrugged. "Wendy might have some ideas."  
"What? But she's still-"  
" _Young_? Have you seen her play with Romeo?"  
Natsu inwardly cringed. "I don't like where this is going."

"Kidding. Gi hi hi hi."  
Natsu put his face on his palm.  
"Okay, you're not helping."  
"Why not just call her by her name? Just add a playful tone?"  
Natsu raised an eyebrow at the serious suggestion. "But we're a couple."

Gajeel raised his own eyebrows. " _Couple_ , huh? Can I know her name?"  
"…Lucy."  
Gajeel tiled his head. "Lucy who?"  
"I can't tell yo-"  
"Come on! The whole name might give me some ideas!"

Natsu was about to point out Gajeel's eagerness to help… but decided otherwise.  
It could just make him change his mind.  
So he decided to risk it.

"Lucy Heartfilia… Sometimes, she calls herself Ashley."  
"Heart…"

Natsu almost laughed at how Gajeel looked, looking all thoughtful and thinking deeply.  
He took the chance to check for new texts.  
"what would you call me"

Natsu put down his phone without replying, and turned to his partner.  
"Okay, she's asking for her name. Got any ideas?"

Gajeel put on a very serious face.  
"Dude, do you know who Mira is?"  
"What?!"  
Natsu dropped his utensils.

Gajeel lightened up.  
"Oh, you know who she is."  
"How do _you_ know who _she_ is?!" Natsu demanded.  
"Wait, what? Why are you reacting like that?"  
"Mira is my-"  
"She's a famous young model," said Gajeel as if that should have been obvious.

Natsu spluttered for an answer. "What?"  
"Crap, don't tell Levy about this."

Gajeel got his phone and swiped for a few seconds.  
He showed Natsu a picture of an almost naked girl in a cover magazine.  
"There. Mira."  
"What?!" Natsu said, for an already so many times.  
"If you didn't know Mira from _that_ , then how?"

Gajeel quickly hid his phone, a little shade of red in his face.  
"Ah…"

Natsu's mind was whirling with confused thoughts.  
 _'Mira has a secret job of managing agents while being_ that _famous?!'_

"Well, she's…"  
"If you want help with name-calling, you can surely ask for her help. Since you know her and all…"  
Natsu laughed uneasily, relieved that Gajeel let it pass.  
"Ok, when's-"

"Natsu, you're here!"

The two guys looked up to see an approaching blonde.  
"Lucy?!"  
Gajeel blinked, then nudged Natsu beside him.  
"What the f, man! She's pretty," harshly whispered Gajeel.  
"Wait, I thought-" Natsu stopped.

Gajeel knew Mira from other sources.  
It was a mistake.  
Of course, he would not know of Lucy too.

"Oh, you're with someone?"  
Natsu cleared his throat, and gave his most civil look.  
"Apparently."  
He quickly tore the look down with a casual grin.

"Lucy, meet Gajeel. He's my cousin."  
"Oh, hello." Lucy offered a hand; giving an unreadable expression  
Gajeel did not notice and just firmly shook her hand.

"Let's talk somewhere else, I guess?" Natsu offered.  
"Don't you have an upcoming class, Natsu?" Lucy asked.

Natsu looked at his phone clock.  
"Oh man, Gray's going to be mad."  
"Aren't you gonna go?" Gajeel said.  
"No way. My seat's in the front row."

\- X – X – X – X – X -

They decided to go for the library, while making casual talk.

"Oh, so you two live together?"  
"Not that I want to," the two boys said simultaneously.  
Lucy only laughed.

"I guess I'll be going then," Gajeel said.  
"Hmm? What will you do?" Natsu asked.  
Gajeel smirked. "Do some assignments and entertain Wendy."  
"Ah, okay. Gotcha."

They made quick farewells, leaving Natsu and together.  
The girl proceeded to ask, "Who's Wendy?"  
"Oh, she's…"

Natsu paused.  
 _'Just how much_ -'

"I don't know _much_ , okay?" Lucy said, as if able to read his trail of thoughts.  
Natsu finally caught something. He knew things were off.  
"Wait, you knew Gajeel, right? Did he really not know you?"  
"Oh, back to interrogation, are we?"

Natsu was about to ask another question when Lucy held his hand.  
"Wha-"  
"While we're at it, let's make a couple image as soon as possible!" said Lucy cheerfully.

Natsu let a few seconds pass.  
"So, about my question…"  
"Don't act so dreary now. Let's talk like we're silly and having fun."  
Natsu only gave a small smile. "I'll try."  
"For your question, yes and yes."

"So you know him, but he doesn't know you?" Natsu reiterated to make things clear.  
"Yeah. But I don't know who this Wendy is."  
Natsu hummed. "I don't really know if I should tell you."

Lucy tightened her hold of his hand.  
"I understand your feeling of responsibility but you don't have to act so reserved."  
"But how could I trust you? It's not like you're telling me everything!"

Lucy glanced at his face.  
"Come on, that's not like you. You always smile, whether it's for yourself or for others."  
"It's an easy thing to do," said Natsu in a bitter tone.  
"I still don't know much about you but…" She paused, taking a heavy breath. "I think we both just want to be understood for what we are."

They continued to walk, with the library building only a few steps away.

"Where are we going with this?" Natsu asked.  
Lucy sighed. "You're the son of Igneel and adoptive child of Porlyusica."  
"…What about it?"  
"And you. You're a hyperactive and cheerful idiot."  
"Wha-?!"  
"Sometimes silly. Sometimes adorable. Sometimes careful. Sometimes serious."

The conversation paused, as they entered the building and took one table for themselves.  
Lucy took out a book to make them appear like researching students.

She then smiled at Natsu.  
"I mean, that's what I've seen so far. I'm sure you're an amazing person."

Natsu was stretching his hands, open then close, again and again.  
"I'll be willing to help you," offered Lucy.  
"Okay…"  
"You never told me who this Wendy is," said Lucy to shift the topic.

"Just another cousin…" slowly said Natsu.  
"You sound particularly protective about her," observed Lucy.  
"That's 'cause… she's just twelve… And I don't want her to be caught up in this mess."

Lucy blinked, then gave a good long hard look.  
We won't go anywhere with this."  
"Lucy…"  
The girl raised an eyebrow, noticing a shift in his tone. "What is it?"

"Can I…" Natsu stopped stretching his hand.  
"Tell me. If I can help…"  
"Can I hold your hand?"  
"Uhhh… Okay, I guess?"

Lucy opened up a palm before his hand.  
Natsu grasped it and held on tightly.

"It's warm."

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Characters:  
Mira | Boss Model  
Natsu | Awkward Student  
Lucy | Concerned Lady  
Gray | Clueless Person  
Gajeel | Serious Idiot  
Wendy | Young Child

I ended up making an angst-y shift for the story.  
Plot might progress… or I'll just add more fluff.

If you see any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc., politely tell me about it.

 **-IdolizedFan**


	5. Discovery

PRIVATE

 **I do not own Fairy Tail.**

Natsu is an undercover agent who has a task to spy on the Heartfilia's daughter. Everything was going smooth until the girl gets a suspicious phone call… and starts to set her eyes on him. College AU.

\- O – O – O – O – O -

"Big bro, how was your class…-"  
Wendy's voice faded as she noticed the distressed look on Natsu's face.  
"Can I know what it was about?" she prodded carefully.

Natsu gave her a small smile.  
"I'm just tired."  
Wendy nodded. "Did you see Ga… jeel a while ago? He was searching for you."  
Natsu raised an eyebrow. She was still having an awkward time spelling out the name.  
"Really now? We did talk…" said Natsu as he went to his room to change.

Wendy leaned on the wall outside his room.  
"Did you get anything?"  
" _Get_ anything?" Natsu asked, confused. "Was he supposed to give me something?"  
"He must have forgotten." Wendy laughed it off.

So it was not anything significant, probably just the laundry notice.  
Natsu lightened up at the thought.  
"Thanks Wendy!"  
"Huh? What did I do?"  
"You cheered up your big brother!"

Natsu opened the door to give a grin at his younger cousin.

The two individuals went for the kitchen table with a fleeting moment of conversation.  
"We only have fish for tonight though."  
"It's your cooking! Gah! I'm all fired up!"  
"We'll still wait for Gajeel."  
"No, we won't."

\- X – X – X – X – X -

"Okay, I'll call you Nacchan," Lucy declared, pointing a finger with a decisive aura.  
Natsu felt his face heating up, uncomfortable with the name.  
"That's a girl's name!"  
"It sounds adorable…" Lucy leaned in closer to his face. "Which is the point of this couple thing, eh?"

Gray cleared his throat for attention.  
"What are you two doing?" he asked, in genuine confusion.  
Lucy shrugged. "We're name-calling."  
"I can see that… Why a girl name?" Gray continued, a little unsure if he should continue interrupting.  
"What name could you give my Natsu?"  
Gray spluttered. "M- _my_ Natsu?!"

Natsu looked down and played with his two index fingers as if nervous.  
"Well, Lucy accepted my… confession."  
"Natsu, you're embarrassing me!"

' _I'm acting so silly now,'_ Natsu thought.  
Lucy was mentally shaking her head. _'No way would he believe this.'_

Gray froze for a few seconds, agape.  
"So, you guys are… what's it called… _official?_ "

"Yeah, I guess." Natsu laughed, feeling a little awkward.  
"Tha- that's why he'll be my Nacchan now!" Lucy added.  
"Err…" Gray looked at the two of them. "Can't you just call Natsu the normal way?"  
Lucy puffed her cheeks. "Why? Nacchan sounds cute."  
"Well, if Natsu is uncomfortable with it, it breaks the purpose."

There was a pause as the three classmates grasped the meaning.  
"That isn't like you, Gray!" said Lucy, breaking the silence.  
Laughter followed her statement.  
They failed to listen much to the class discussion yet again.

\- X – X – X – X – X -

The two of them were back in the usual café, seated on a single table.  
Lucy was sipping coffee off a small cup.  
Natsu was having a dose of cake.

"I didn't know you are the type of guy who favors cake," Lucy said.  
Natsu shrugged. "Out of all that's available here, cake's the best."  
"How about we try the restaurant in front some time?"  
"I prefer this site. It's quieter."

Lucy looked at him, puzzled. "And I also thought you'd me more of a rowdier person."  
Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"  
"You and Gray. It's like _bro-bonding._ "  
"I do have my cousin you'd consider my brother." Natsu rolled his eyes. "Not that he helps much."  
"Oh… Gajeel."

Natsu noticed the shift in her tone.  
"Anything I should know about Gajeel?"  
Lucy thought for a while, pensive. "I don't know if I can tell you."  
"You _can_." Before Lucy could answer, Natsu continued. "I mean, literally. But maybe you shouldn't."

Lucy offered a small smile. "AH, that's what you meant. Silly."  
"I can be silly sometimes."  
"Like every time I call you Nacchan?"  
Natsu took a cake piece and mumbled, "That's unnecessary."  
"Nacchan sounds like a nice name for a daughter, isn't it?"

Natsu felt his face redden. "I'm not into that… yet. Err, besides I have Wendy."  
"That's right. Jane's particularly specific on _you_. I wonder why."  
"You really don't actually know?"  
"You probably won't believe me, I guess?"

Natsu moved his fork then realized there was no more cake on his plate.  
"Do you want more? I'll treat you," Lucy kindly offered.  
Natsu looked up at the café clock.  
"…or do you have class?"  
Natsu smiled as he looked back. "I'll take a brownie."

Lucy called the attention of an attendant.  
A scarlet-haired waitress approached them, making Natsu gasp.

"What?! Never saw you here!"  
The waitress greeted him. "Oh, Natsu!"  
She looked at his companion. "Your order, ma'am?"  
"Just a brownie…" Lucy said weakly. "Err, can I know your name?"  
"She's-" "Erza. If you'll excuse me."

The server called Erza turned around gracefully.  
Natsu gaped after her.  
"Oookay. What's it about her?" Lucy asked.  
"She's _Erza_ I" Natsu claimed, as if it was enough explanation. "She's not her usual self."  
Lucy smiled, amused and interested. "And what is this usual self?"  
"She's _way_ worse than Gajeel! She's a demon!" Natsu cringed as if remembering something terrible.

"Well apparently, she's a waitress here."  
Natsu realized what she was implying. "Ah crap. I should get to know the time of her shifts. The cake here's too good to pass. Besides, she won't work for long. She _loves_ cake, especially strawberry cake. She'll probably eat one while she thinks no one is looking and then she'll get caught and get fired in the job. Why is she working here in the first place?"

Lucy laughed, making Natsu stop his rant.  
"Eh, my bad."  
"No, no! I'm good." Lucy laughed for a few more seconds. "It's just actually adorable for you to rant."  
"What? Don't just throw embarrassing names on me!"  
"But we're a couple, right?"

Next they heard was a plate being dropped on their table.  
" _Couple_?"  
Natsu looked up in shock. "Erza!"  
The waitress gave him a fiery eye. "Tell me right now before I leave for the other customers."  
Natsu raised his hands defensively. "We're just acting!"  
Lucy frowned at his answer. "Hey-"

"I don't believe you." Erza crossed her arms. "Acting all sweet, laughing at each other. You can't fool me."  
Natsu laughed, as if embarrassed.  
Lucy took his hand. "He's just shy about it. Give him time."  
" _Shy?_ " Erza spat as if she found it a bad mix on Natsu's attitude. "Let's see each other some time this week, Natsu."

With her orders given, Erza moved on to assist the other customers.  
Natsu shivered, as if a cold wind just passed him.  
Lucy gave a genuine laughter. "So, what's it about… this Erza?"

Natsu cautiously looked around, making sure one specific waitress was not near them anymore.  
"She's one of my childhood friends… and we ended up getting stuck up to now."  
"Isn't that adorable?"  
"Well…" Natsu scratched the back of his head. "We did have history."  
Lucy looked at him blankly. "Well, you did say you two were childhood friends…?"  
"I mean…" Natsu stopped.

That was when Lucy noticed the blush on his face.  
"What? That _kind_ of history?!" she spluttered. "Wait, I thought you're new to this thing!"  
"Okay, I lied. I think." Natsu gave a small grin. "I try to keep lying to a minimum though."  
"So… high school then?"  
Natsu sighed.  
Lucy raised an eyebrow. "Look, you kinda started the topi-"  
The boy chuckled. "Nah. No problem. I just… find it silly, remembering stuff. Back in my innocent days…"

Lucy's eyes brightened up.  
"Is it wrong for me to say I want to hug you right now?"  
Natsu's face flared up. "What?!"  
Lucy laughed for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "It's fun acting this way. You're easy to tease!"  
"Wha-?!" Natsu's face shifted to different states. "I'm not."

Confusion.  
Embarrassment.  
Happiness.  
Annoyance.  
Awkwardness.

Lucy was amused to see it all, smiling and rocking her legs while having fun.  
Natsu cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'd really like to know how Jane's being specific on me."  
"Oh, you aren't flustered anymore?"  
"Come on. There are other matters. This and that."  
"You don't have to isolate your 'personalities' so much."  
"Ah, mood shift. Sorry."

Perhaps Lucy was indeed right.  
Natsu really wanted to smile it off. Everything seemed genuine and just… relaxing.  
Yet his troubled mind would always catch up with the blurred fantasy.  
He was not sure how to handle multiple stuffs anymore.

"Come on, eat your brownie," Lucy suggested weakly.  
"Will do." Natsu followed slowly, with an expectant look.  
Lucy breathed deeply.

"Okay basically, Jane tells me you could become a very good friend to me…"  
As Natsu did not seem inclined to reply, Lucy continued.  
"Due to my…" Lucy paused for emphasis. "…problematic history, I had to settle for only a few friends… in my younger years, high school, and etcetera." She looked down as if remembering grim things. "They… they're really not hanging out with me anymore. Oh wait…"  
Lucy grimaced. "That's not the point. Anyway, Jane wanted to help me, even just a bit, in my college life. She's, I dunno, kinda a corny matchmaker and likes to play games. Puzzles. A lot. And she has this… branch of information she won't tell me. Maybe from her modelling business, I think?"

Natsu raised a hand, finally speaking up. "Jane's a she? Uhh, not a man or even a codename?"  
Lucy tilted her head and gave him a look as if he became crazy right there at his spot.  
"Uhh… what gave you that idea? Jane is definitely a girl, of our age even."  
"Wait, then who ca-…" Natsu faded off as he realized Lucy most likely did not even know of Jane actually having voice contact with him. Maybe Jane was just playing tricks on him. One could easily muffle their own voice over the phone after all, just to sound like someone else. "Nevermind."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. Natsu just gestured for her to continue.  
"Anyway, she _loves_ making things up. That includes names!" Lucy's eyes widened in cheer then she blinked. "I guess I'm talking too much about Jane now? I think I already answered your question anyway."  
"Wait. So where does…" Natsu licked his lips as if he was saying stupid things. "Uhh, Deliora and stuff come into this?"  
"Deliora? She's the mom of Gray, right? For some reason, Jane seems to know almost everyone I can possibly meet. She went as far as giving silly nicknames for their parents! I don't even know where Deliora came from but I just went with it, I guess."

Natsu froze for a few seconds, his gaze constantly shifting to and from Lucy's expression of joy then on his once again empty plate. He was unable to speak for a few seconds.  
Lucy hummed as if confused and amused at the same time. "What's gotten into you now?"

Natsu frowned. Something was off. Something felt off.  
He could not grasp it, however.  
Lucy did not seem to be lying, but something was bothering him.  
He could not piece his thoughts together into one rational idea.

"Okay, maybe that was a lot to take in at once…?"  
"I mean…" Natsu shook his head. "So, what kind of _job_ do you actually do?"  
Lucy laughed, as if it was a silly question she did not want to come across with. "I'm collecting people's information for Jane. Guess I'm now part of the information network."

Just…  
"Just who is this Jane?"  
Natsu found himself voicing his thoughts.

"Jane? She's actually Mirajane, but she insists I call her Jane. Wait, I don't remember what she uses for her modelling magazines, although I'm pretty sure I've heard other people call her Mira."

\- O – O – O – O – O -

Characters:  
Mirajane | Sly Boss  
Natsu | …Clueless Agent  
Lucy | Friendly Friend  
Gray | Confused Being  
Wendy | Caring Cousin  
Erza | Angry Waitress

By now, you all probably know there is no exact schedule for the classes. Bear with me. It's just a convenient plot device for the story and fluff. .  
Tada, a discovery you guys probably had already known! Well, just take into account that things happened in Natsu and Lucy's own perspectives.

If you see any grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, etc., politely tell me about it.

 **-IdolizedFan**


End file.
